The Rice University Press closes down

By Staff Editorial     9/23/10 7:00pm

For many members of the Rice community, the news that the university's digital press is being shut down (see story, page 1) illicits a common reaction: The university had a digital press? While losing this resource puts an end to an innovative experiment we would love to see continue on campus, the Thresher believes that in the current economic situation, the viability of maintaining this press would be under question. Though the press was producing at an admirable capacity, taking into account its limited support, its contribution to the campus and to elevating Rice's national standing was negligible. Having produced 18 pieces of work in the last two years is a lot for a $200,000 annual operating budget, but according to some figures, it would take nearly twice that to even begin to make Rice University Press a recognizable entity on the national scene.

It is worth noting, however, that this news comes as another example of a project being cut that costs on the low end of six figures. The expansion of the Beer Bike track is another example - costing $150,000 - of a small-scale project that has been put on hold due to financial reconsiderations.

The Thresher believes that if the decision falls between postponing these projects and losing staff members that rely on the university for a salary, we will gladly take a temporary halt to these projects to protect these livelihoods. However, as many experts suggest that the 2009 economic recovery was simply the eye of a double-dipping economic hurricane, cuts such as these beg the question: How bad do we have it?

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The answer to this question is undoubtedly complex, but it is something that we should hold in the back of our heads if we hope to have an accurate grasp of the administration's actions.

While times are tough, the Thresher recognizes the need to make cuts as long as they are made transparently and with democratic input. But the Thresher also hopes that the matter of the Rice University Press is reopened in the future when we do have resources to dedicate to this arena. Maintaining a digital press is a great way to provide faculty a much-needed resource and encourage the proliferation of academia, while spreading the Rice brand across the nation.

If proper resources are dedicated to a digital press, the Thresher is confident that, given the achievements of our under-manned press, it can become a meaningful part of the university.

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